Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-06-25
WORKING IN SILENCE.
The Men Who Engrave the P1aseo for
Uncle SANS Notes.

something slowly and with great care. For hours
these men stay In this position without looking up
drawing on plates OF polished steel with pencils
as hard as diamonds Their nerves are % steady
% the steel. Among them are reck0ned some Of
the finest engraverS In the world. They all hold
the highest rank as experts.
THE VALUABLE CONTENTS OF THE vAuITA
The Bureau OF Engraving and Printing is one Of
the most interesting to visitors OF all the Govern
nent o11ces and work shops. Even the great
vaults OF the Treasury, overlooking with surplus,
bits OF steel upon which have been traced rare
works OF art. These are the steel plates from
certificates and piIls Of All Genomlnations, and
Government bonds In the vault there are kept
the plates for every bank note, treasury note and
sued by authority Of the Government. And they
can give you the history Of each from the day 1t
who ever laid hands On II, and how and when and
why he tOuchedit. II any of these plates should be
stolen there might be printed from them notes Or
ponds representing money to an inca1culable
amount.
Row THR PLATES ARE GUARDED.
These plates are surrounded with tmpenetrable
safeguards The large room, nearly the full length
Of the building, is occupied by only the engravers
at the windows, Mr.. ONeil the chief engraver,
railing and wire screen, sucn as are seen In bankA
behind which are the desks OF Mr.. O'Neil and his
bookkeeper. On the other side OF the room. at the
door OF the vault Is similar enclosure, where sits
the custodian OF the 'ates, dies, rolla and other
property. When the chief engraver comes In the
morning he makes FeQuisitton upon the custodian
for such Of these precious bits he wants
Each piece has its name designation, whether II
Is 6it OF lathe work vignette or an entire plate
upon reQuisition an entry is made upon the books
OF the custodian. The bookkeeper or Custodian
for Mr.. o'Nelll makes an entry on his books also.
to show what he has received. Then, as the en-
gravers want the different pieces Of work, q sini-
lar accounts kept with Them and no man can
piece OF engraving that he had In his possession
has been returned and he has note from the
CHIEF engraver TO show that such Is the case
The watchmen would not let them out OF the
building without this. When Q bell sounds at
noon the engravers 60 to lunch, but not outside
the building.
SETTLING ACCOUNTS AT F1eHE.
When the work is over for the day the accounts
between the chief engrayer and his subordinates
are balanced, to show that each has returned all
the work placed In his custody. The rolls and
oeS and plates are returned by the Chief eugravef
70 the custodian from whom he got Them, and II
no piece Is missing his requisiton Is returned to
him, and the property locked in thevault 1or the
night. Should it ever happen that anything was
Of engsavinx no one Would be permiItsd 70 leave
until IT was round. complete record Is thus
Kept OF every piece. so that you can tell just
where 1t was at any time how long 1t waS In any
ones custody, and what ne had 1t L0r.
NO PLATE EVER STOLEN.
1--WE know" said Mr. O'Ne1l to STAR reporter to
whom Chief Graves had extended the freedom OF
the build1ng-"we know that whatever may be
said about counterfeits being printed from Gov
Rnsre never wss plate sso,sn there
no plate that has been made that not In the
vault there. and every one can be accounted for
tie out-of-the-way national bank but that we have
the pate for It's notes In that vault and can tell
you all about IT, from the name OF the men who
worked on II to everyb body who has ever touched
it at any time.
DIVISION OF LABOR.
mo one man does all the work on plate. Each
man here Is expert In some particular branch OF
engraving. Some work upon lettering, some upon
landscape, some on the v1gnettes; some one part
and some another. Each does the very best he
can In his specially, and all are put together In
one plate, making 1t just As perfect as II
can 0e mace: Two men can always 90 Two pieces
do 1t all. Some OF these men have been working
on certain character Of engrav1ng-nne border
and no one In the world can excel them in their
line. Others have not worked so long at 1t, but
they have grown up In the Bureau, devoting their
skill and energy and genius TO some special branch
OF work, and are equally skillful in 1t. There are
no rtvairteS or JealOusies as each excels in bis
speciality. Some OF these plates are the work OF
one. There could be no counterfeit OF OF these
notes made that could not DO distinguished by an
one man can reproduce the work OF several they
have devoted much time TO 1t, but have always
Jailed. In TACT no man can exactly reproduce his
"For that reason notes are not printed from the
dies cut 6y the engraver. These dies are trans
pressure. shat roller is then hardened and the
impression transferred from IL TO SOFT plates again
as many times as need be. It takes time, skill
"rhe least break or deviation In one OF those
lines you can LOOK at with glas and md 80 Der.
feet, would make spot, and instead OF the fine
lines you would see black spot, no matter how
slight the break"
THE FINE LATHE WORK
rhat forms such an important part Of the engrav.
ing on the United States securities Is An interest
| ing thing to see done. The machine with which
| II Is done is more delicately adjusted than the
nDest watch ever made, and It requires q skill tG
run IL that Is dlfcut to attain. II Is said that
there are but five men In the whole world VINO arr
experts at IL, and only two men, the one employed
work on the wacSn snI Ear sse
machine Will be at work on one design, q perfect
maze OF beautiful curves, all in one lne Tine, with
| out an end. II Is an example or marvellous me-
chanicai ingenuity.
TEMPRRyNo TIE PIArKs
In another room are the furnaces and all thf
| apparatus for tempering the plates Here mer
with aprons on and sleeves rolled I'D are baking
| the plates in the nery furnace, while other mer
are covering them over with wax to keep the rus
away. Places are never put away without betne
| so protected. A ter the engraving OF Che plates
comes the printing OF the notes and securities
The Bureau has put out some very fne worl
during the past two years, since Mr.. E. o. Grave:
| has been at Its head. The whole force was reor
| ganized when he took charge, and che number O.
employees and expense OF the Bureau greatly re-
| duced. The engraving division alone Ii run at m
| expense OF $4,000 per year less than formerly.
SPECIMENS OF THE WORK
done during the present regime are being pro
pared for exhibit at the Minneapolis exhibttio,
| in August. The exhibit will contain some extra
| ordinary examples Of engraving and will possesu
| considerable interest. All the work VIII be N
ranged In an artistic manner and displayed In ON
| immense frame. The center piece will be forme,
by the new army commission, piece OF work tha
| much pride Is taken In. upon Q back ground
sheets OF custom fee certtfcates OF dffferent de
nomination, design, and color. Under this viii b
! the portrait or President Cleveland. with VICE
| President Hendricks and General Grant on I'M
| right and Secretary Manning and General Han
considered the finest likeness of him ever secured
Rejecting all the finished Photographs It was Gu
from y rough negative proof. From It q bus
Of the President that is being cut By q,
| American sculptor viii be designed. Dlsplayes
| under these portraits will be the new one two
i've and ten dollar silver certificates WORK O
| which Mr.. Graves Is justly proud. The stde piece
win oe formed OF the oleomarganne. revenue ant
license stamps, Treasury and Post once drafts
portraits OF dead Senators and members that hav
| been engraved by the Bureau, and other example
OF recent work. In conspicuous place will b
displayed the new tug boat license stamp which
has just been completed, and Il Q work Of con
siderable artistic beauty. The principal color Il
IL Is sea green with marine view In black an
white and some black Lettering. The picture u O
tug boat cutting through rough sea, and I
nv hRof oA opff IN ny<zs